There ain't too much I can say about this game except that the answer is blowin' in the wind. Or inside a brain fruit. Or a women's public toilet. And you might want to shake down any children you find just to be safe. And harass a goat or two. Maybe take down some migrating falcons? Katharine Neil of Cheap Drunk Games brings you one very odd little tale with Alone in the Park. A mysterious letter arrives in your mailbox one day and invites you to track down pieces of a map scattered around nearby Spiegel Park to find a hidden treasure. What could it be? Unreleased Pokemon sketches? Vintage lego sets? *gasp* TIM HORTONS COFFEE?! What are you standing around for?

The game is primarily a textadventure with some visual representations and inventory management. An icon appearing in the central window where your location is displayed usually means an object or person to interact with, which is done by clicking on it. You can drag items in your inventory over one of these icons to try to use the two together, or to ask someone about whatever you're carrying. The titular park, it turns out, is rather a large place, so you'll be doing a lot of traveling between the numerous locations, which is done by simply clicking and holding on the map screen, whereupon you'll trundle in that direction. If you find yourself at a loss as to what to do, try activating "hint mode" from the game options, which makes items in your inventory that are relevant to your current location glow slightly.

As you'll soon discover, despite the title, you are not, strictly speaking, alone in the park. All manner of people are milling about in the various locales, taking in the sights, chaining themselves to trees, and owning unreasonable teddy-bears. Most of them will be able to help you find the missing pieces of your map if you ask... but only if you do something for them first. It might be as simple as tracking down a missing ring, or it might be as complex as chasing down one of the most belligerent goats on the face of the planet. Just make sure you save your game by clicking on the appropriate button when you need to take a break from the demands of your new "friends", since this game is fairly large.

Analysis: There's no question that while the presentation is unique and appealing, the star of the game is definitely Katharine Neil's writing, which is snarky when it needs to be and breathes life into both her cast of characters and bizarre situations. As is the case with all humour, the jokes in Alone in the Park can be hit or miss depending on your tastes. Some of it I found very clever, while other segments gave me the impression it was trying a bit too hard to be both ridiculously surreal and wink-wink-nudge-nudge-offensive. During our evaluation of the game, fellow word monkey joye made the suggestion that "the narrator is supposed to be unlikable; it's one of those post-post-modern hipster things where no one is likable". Which is a valid observation and stance, but in my case I would offer that someone who is unlikable on purpose is still unlikable and probably not someone I'll willing to hang around with even if the experience does level up my Hipster Hoodie.

Which is not to say the game isn't entertaining and worth playing, of course. If you've ever wanted to make a love connection for a pseudo-Goth shut-in, experience spiritual enlightenment from a goat, or help a woman stuck in a public restroom, Alone in the Park will provide. The cast is essentially a set of archetypes exaggerated to the extreme, and the end result is a game that feels like a sort of mecha-parody of itself and everything from other games to pop culture as a whole. The biggest issue may be with the puzzles in that most of them wind up being extended fetch-quests, which can be potentially frustrating considering that your primary mode of discovery and travel is "wander in big loopy circles until something pops up", which, considering how big the park itself actually is, could take a while. The biggest frustrations will probably wind up being the bird and the teddy bear, for sheer confusion and repetition respectively. (Although seeking out higher ground can help.)

In the end, possibly the word that best describes Alone in the Park is "different". It's not the only word; the game is also silly, creative, cheeky, crass, and entertaining. But it isn't something that will appeal to everyone. Of course, that's hardly a bad thing; give me a Dark City over a Sin City any day. For all its flaws, Alone in the Park is still an impressive bit of work and will appeal to adventure gamers with a sense of humour willing to take a bit of sass with their experience.

talk to everyone about it, and go to the places they describe at the correct times of day. I had to go back and forth a lot of different times, and I'm not sure why I finally got it right, but eventually a new location appeared on my map.

Sorry I can't be more specific; I didn't write down everything I tried.

@Zuubert: I'm having the same problem =( I did notice that there are 3 spaces left in my inventory. Perhaps there's something still to be done?

@Stacie:

If you haven't unlocked the place where the bird lives yet:

1) Make sure your current task for the Bird quest is "Follow bird through park as it flies to message sender". If it isn't yet, check that you've sighted (clicked on) the bird flying both north and south, and both at Batty Boggart Hill and Big Rock Falls.

2) The bird flies north one day carrying a message, then returns south the next day (without a message), then north the next day and so on. Go to Batty Boggart Hill on an afternoon when you see that the bird is flying due south. Exit the Hill location and walk in a straight line directly south (you're "following" the bird). You will come upon the hidden location somewhere between Batty Boggart Hill and the Toilets.

1) Make sure your current task for the Bird quest is "Follow bird through park as it flies to message sender". If it isn't yet, check that you've sighted (clicked on) the bird flying both north and south, and both at Batty Boggart Hill and Big Rock Falls.

2) The bird flies north one day carrying a message, then returns south the next day (without a message), then north the next day and so on. Go to Batty Boggart Hill on an afternoon when you see that the bird is flying due south. Exit the Hill location and walk in a straight line directly south (you're "following" the bird). You will come upon the hidden location somewhere between Batty Boggart Hill and the Toilets.

I think the exact location of some of the secret spots changes from game to game. My advice on the bird is, watch the lat and long in order to go as accurately n/s/w/e etc as you can from your landmarks, and do so at many different times of day. Mine was directly south of BBH.

1) Make sure your current task for the Bird quest is "Follow bird through park as it flies to message sender". If it isn't yet, check that you've sighted (clicked on) the bird flying both north and south, and both at Batty Boggart Hill and Big Rock Falls.

2) The bird flies north one day carrying a message, then returns south the next day (without a message), then north the next day and so on. Go to Batty Boggart Hill on an afternoon when you see that the bird is flying due south. Exit the Hill location and walk in a straight line directly south (you're "following" the bird). You will come upon the hidden location somewhere between Batty Boggart Hill and the Toilets.

You won't be able to find what you're looking for unless the map is complete and properly assembled -- you'll get a message that it is. I had 2 pieces reversed without realizing it for the longest time

As for the epilogue:

What a cheery outlook on the world the author has! I especially liked Taylor's realization that

"being remarkably clever and mature for one's age is no longer considered an endearing trait in a female beyond 25 years of age"

I know it's satire, but WOW, seriously. Guess I'm one of the people whose humor doesn't match up with the author's

I found a few bugs in this game. The text began to repeat itself shortly into the game, and I found that eventually the picture wouldn't change, even after I click to go to a different location, and the exit button ultimately stopped working. I hope it gets fixed!

This is all constructive, so I hope if the author/programmer reads this they don't take it the wrong way. Or do -- if the author actually espouses any of the narrator's views then she can go take a walk. :P
The overall UI for this game could really use some work. The credits for the game load in the same text box as the rest of the story, so if the user wants to check out the credits they then have to page back past that if they want to read anything that came before. There's no volume control for the music that starts blaring when you get to the goth lady's house. On the subject of sound, that "Jack and Jill" ditty at the surveyor's tower gets really annoying. The treasures are annoying to locate -- sort of a spot-the-hidden-pixel-on-the-map sort of thing.
Games are supposed to be fun, but this one actually pissed me off (which is why I stopped playing it).

I seem to not have all the map pieces, and I have six empty spaces in my inventory. I think there must be a mission I haven't found, here are all the ones I've done:

Finding a map of Spiegel Park
Janice and the Missing Engagement
The Tall Tree and its Green Brainapple
The Lone Tree and its Orange
The Eco-Anarchist and the Purple
Moira and her Map Fragment
Pimping for Matt
Taylor's Teddy and the Lost Eyes
Mystery of the Bird and its Reclusive

Ah, i finally found what to do. You really have to show the letter to EVERYONE.

I haven't find the puzzle difficult, make a screenshot when you see everything from the binoculars, and place the pieces the same. Of course you have to walk and find everything on the map first: river, mountains, etc.

The hidden final spot seem simple to me:

draw a cross from the red crosses on the puzzle-map, it will lead you to the "h" in "rougH map"

Then, take the spade and

click on the patch of grass, on the same location

The epiloge is funny and horrible at the same time :D but i expected another thing.

I find the start of the game not clear, and the moves on the map slooooow, even if it take half a day every time.

I've followed the bird and found the secret location. I've even done a further quest involving the homeowner.

(Set up Matt and Carmilla and gotten Matt's map piece.)

But the bird quest still says I need to follow the bird. I've tried following in the other direction, but that's not doing anything (yet?). Tried saving and reloading as suggested by the creator, but all that did was take away the icon for the secret location, which is still revealed in the main map.

Is there more to this quest? I've got 8 map pieces and four empty inventory slots.

Yeah, I like the interface and stuff, but the bird problem is a major problem, and I ran into bugs that made me quit playing the game (my save was erased, not willing to start over).

I wish it wouldn't tell you to try hint mode if you already have it on. I didn't notice any change in my gameplay with that checkbox marked, however.

I also ran into a bug involving the bird quest. I wasn't able to find the bird, but as I was visiting the lake, Carmilla's place suddenly showed up in my shortcuts to places on the bottom, even though I had never found it. After I visited it for the first time, the bird quest was still marked as unfinished. I ended up finishing all the quests I had except the bird one, which drove me to just repeatedly click between Batty Boggart Hill and the waterfall.
Not fun. Even after hearing the bird's flight path from Carmilla, it was hard to get to the right place at the right time due to how sometimes time changes after you visit a place, and sometimes it stays the same.
Eventually, Carmilla's place was erased from my shortcuts at the bottom, even though I could still visit her place by manually directing my dotted line, and there was no blank "undiscovered" spot for it to be there.

followed the bird back to Carmilla's lair, but it still doesn't show the quest as being completed. I've even set up the date between her and Matt so that when I talk to him he just says "thanks again" and she just says "do we have to talk about him" I've completed everything else but that one follow the bird quest. what do I do?

I've gotten 12 of 14 eyes, but the last two aren't anywhere on the map. I've tried talking to other people about the little girl and other random things, but nothing's working. Where are those last two eyes?

Impwessive! The simplicity of the gameplay is perfectly complemented by the narrative, the puzzles are a nicely balanced between straightforward and My Brain Hurts, and the combined experience has the - I presume - much sought after I'll-just-finish-this-bit-and-then-I'm-really-quitting effect.

I really enjoyed this game. I started playing computer games when all graphics were ASCII and we used the games to get new users comfortable with terminals connected to mainframes. Commodore and Infocom introduced me to recreational gaming and I still enjoy a good text adventure once in a while. This games UI was a bit buggy, but overall a great concept. To be able to play a game where the story is told with the author's voice instead of an artist's rendering, yet to not have to jump through vocabulary and parsing hoops, makes this type of game much more enjoyable. With more polish this interface could get many more interested in what is now called 'interactive fiction'. Also, I enjoyed the story. Dark and rough? Maybe. Realistic and believable? Totally!

I've encountered the same bug as shnnr where the game's screen picture does not change and you can't seem to exit the screen. It has only happened after I found the bathroom in the park. Unfortunately, saving during the screen bug reset all my progress when I loaded my "saved game" :(

It is a very enjoyable game nonetheless and I hope to get past the bugs and finish it!

@Carolynn

The playground is located somewhere to the south of the hill with the station. In the brown area, it is a little up and to the left of the bathroom.

@JIGuest

After you show Wayne the tall tree, Wayne should have disappeared from the waterfall screen after he says he'll meet you there. Then you can just make your way to the tall tree.

Note: While performing quests, you will discover game locations along the way before I mention them, so, play the game however you want, but I wrote this to be a "linear, straight forward" game experience.

(Clicking on an object that appears in the game window will take a "picture" of the item and allow you to use it to interact with other characters/items in the game).

Note: all locations will be in the following format. (Latitude, Longitude).

Note: Each map fragment will be numbered from 1-9. Each number will correspond to the position in the map holder that it should be placed.
123
456
789

Click on letter
Click on map holder
Go to Spiegel Park Entrance (2427, 2445)
Click on artist's interpretation of park
Click it a second time
QUEST COMPLETE: Find a map of Spiegel Park

NOTE: At some point during the upcoming quests, you will see a bird appear in the game window along with the other characters/items. When you do, click on it, and keep clicking on it every time you encounter it until you see the Quest "Mystery of the Bird and it's reclusive owner", and the objective is "Follow bird through park as it flies to message".
Go to playground (780, 2029)
Click on Taylor
Show Taylor letter
Show Taylor Janice
Go to Batty Boggart Hill (1326, 1189)
Click on tripod
Go to Big Rock Falls (1327, 449)
Click on Wayne
Show letter to Wayne
Click on binoculars
Show tripod to Wayne
Show Wayne Janice

Return to Batty Boggart Hill (You can now use the icons below the game window to quickly return to places you have already visited).
Use binoculars on tripod
(On the map that appears, white dots represent the location of Wayne's carabiners. Red dots represent the location of Taylor's bear eyes. You will probably need to return a couple of times to use the binoculars, unless you take a screenshot or make a map).
When you have collected all 6 carabiners, and 2 bear eyes, then you can return to the respective quest beginning locations. I'll start with Wayne.
Return to Big Rock Falls
Give Wayne Carabiners
Receive map fragment 2
QUEST COMPLETE: Wayne and his curry beans

Return to playground
Give Taylor Bear eyes
(Then you find out that the bear has 14 more eyes to find)
Return to Batty Boggart Hill
Use binoculars on tripod to find out the locations of the other 14 eyes
After you locate the other 14 eyes, return to playground
Give Taylor remaining eyes
Receive map fragment 7
QUEST COMPLETE: Taylor's Teddy and the lost eyes

Go to Spiegel Park Holistic Healing (150, 637)
Click on Moira
Click on brochure
Show Moira letter
Show Moira either one of the map fragments
Return to Carpenter's Woods
Show geriatric tree to Cedric
Show brochure to Cedric
Click on brainapple, receive map fragment 5.
QUEST COMPLETE: The Eco-Anarchist and the Purple Fruit

(The next step may be done in the EVENING only)
Go to the Sacred Stone Location (627, 410)
Click on Sacred Stone
Return to Spiegel Park Holistic Healing
Give stone to Moira
Receive map fragment 4
QUEST COMPLETE: Moira and her Map Fragment

NOTE: By this time, you probably have seen gotten the Quest "Mystery of the Bird and it's reclusive owner", and ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE CLICKED THE BIRD ENOUGH TIMES to get the objective "Follow bird through park as it flies to message", can you complete the next part. If your objective doesn't read this yet, skip over this and come back to this later.
NOTE: You will need to show Falcon to Matt, Taylor, Moira and Wayne along your travels
Falcon appears at Batty Boggart Hill , Big Rock Hill, and Camilla's Lair
Go to Camilla's Lair (1322,1741)
Click bird (falcon)
Click Camilla
Show Camilla falcon
Show Camilla brochure
Show Camilla letter
Receive map fragment 9
QUEST COMPLETE: Mystery of the Bird and it's reclusive owner
Show Camilla Camilla (this isn't a typo-show Camilla her own picture)
Click iPad showing Camilla's website

I quite liked it. Exploring was a little tough, but rewarding. The puzzles were not that difficult but still rewarding. I definitely enjoyed the dragging pictures and walking around more than typing in commands in other text games. For me, the goat quest was the most annoying, and the epilogue text was over-the-top. But otherwise, I thought it was great.

Excuse me, first time poster here but have played and beaten this cute, adorable game several times for the past month. Does anyone at least know the lyrics or can make out the lyrics to the beautiful gothic song in C sharp minor, heard when visiting Carmilla's Lair?

I've been trying to google "watch the sound; it's some of kind of evil; through the wings my song is sleeping" for the last 3 hours and haven't been able to find this song. I want it for my iPod, it's so amazing and makes me think of the amazing girl I like. I can already play the melody on my guitar but that's just not good enough for me. Could someone please help me out? Would be greatly appreaciated! ~J. Andrew

Technical complaint: I wish this game autosaved its state in cookies (as many other browser games do). I played it for a while, then accidentally reloaded the webpage that it lives on...and found myself right back at the beginning (I wasn't using Save Game because, honestly, I didn't think I'd need to until I ended my session).

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